The Morris Family

Disney on Ice

2012-02-07T10:01:00.002-05:00

For Christmas, Nana treated us all to Disney on Ice! We all had such wonderful time at the show and just being together.

Ashley and her girls came down Friday night. Of course, Abby was spoiled with lots of snuggling!

The girls got all dressed up as princess and we had a yummy brunch

The Nana played her annual Family Trivia game. Can't you tell she was a teacher for 30 yrs??!

The girls didn't know where Nana was taking them that afternoon. So after the game, she said "Guess where we are going today?" Sarah jumped up and said "Disney World!" Ha! Ha! Not quite, maybe next year, Sarah!

The princesses were all ready to go to Disney on Ice!

The show was AMAZING! I have been to a few Disney on Ice shows, but this one seemed so enjoyable because I loved watching the exticement on the girls' faces.

Such happy, happy girls!

My sister Ashley and her girls

Mom and her sister Barbara

Of course Mom had to buy one of the $15 souveniour photos... which Andy also took a picture of from the side. I was pretty sure they frown on that kind of thing, but then the photographer agreed to take a group shot with our camera. So maybe they don't care.

What a fun day!

The girls have since asked many times, "Can we go back to watch the princesses on ice?"

Thank you, Nana!

Christmas Trees

2012-01-28T01:03:00.000-05:00

One Saturday, we headed out to get our Christmas tree. We make it an annual tradition to compare the trees at Lowes Hardware and Home Depot. And then buy it with a coupon.

That just screams Christmas Spirit, doesn't it?

Emily enjoyed prancing around in the tree skirt while we were decorating the tree. Typical Emily!

Sarah loved hanging on the ornaments... in the exact same spot!

Of course with 2 girls, we had to put the start on top... twice!

TA DA!

I also put a artificial tree upstairs tree too.

This one was the "tacky' tree with the kids' ornaments and a string of lights that only had half the lights working. It was pathetic.

My goal is actually post about Christmas Day before Valentine's day! :)

Emily's Christmas Program

2012-01-19T23:22:00.005-05:00

Emily has music class once a week during preschool. They have been working on a lot of Christmas songs and the school had a really cute program for all the parents.

Emily loves going to Preschool. It has been nice watching her make new friends and enjoying her teachers. However it has been strange for me to realize that she has a life away from me. She is learning so many new things. She has always been by my side and is definitely a momma's girl, so it is nice to see her gain some independence and confidence.

Christmas Fun

2012-01-15T19:28:00.000-05:00

I love doing fun things around town to get ready for Christmas.

Here is a list of some of our favorite activities:

We had dinner with the Santa cow at ChickFilA

The gym we go to is in a neighborhood and they had open house of all the houses for sale one Saturday. The girls loved riding the shuttle to each house and getting treats at every house. They also got to talk with Santa at the gym and make some crafts in the kids' room. Then we headed outside for the tree lighting and Emily wanted to sit on Santa's lap again to review everything she wanted with him!

We also went to a Downtown Open House one night. Our town closes down Main Street and all the stores open up and have treats and etc. We found a nice live nativity at the of street that the girls really enjoyed. Then we watched as they lit the Christmas tree downtown.

Every year we also enjoy a Christmas light show nearby. It is in front of 2 houses and the lights are synchronized to music. Unfortunately Santa was not there the night we went, but the girls still enjoyed the show.

Family Pictures

2012-01-10T13:17:00.000-05:00

Family pictures is not usually a fun time for us, however this year turned out to be better experience than previous years. We always just take them in the backyard...with a tripod and self timer. We did have a number of meltdowns from a sassy 5 year old in between pictures, but she put on a smile when needed.

The Girls!

Emily Jordan, 5 yrs old

Sarah Elizabeth, 3 yrs old

Abigal Kate, 8 months

I like this one of Abby and I just hanging out while Andy set up the camera.

Thanksgiving/Birthday/Baby Blessing

2012-01-04T10:53:00.001-05:00

We had a very busy and fun Thanksgiving weekend. First, we spent Thanksgiving Day with Andy's family at his sister's house. Here is a picture of most of the gang... don't you love the cousins punching each other in the bottom of the picture... can't you feel the love??!

We got to meet Sutton, Andy's sister's new baby boy!

The girls also met Izzy... Sharon's Great Dane. Seriously, he is the bigesst dog ever and the girls loved him!

Thanksgiving was also my birthday.

I tried to get a picture of me and the girls opening my present, however only Abby cooperated!

Nothing better than taking over your Aunt's bed for a movie to end the evening!

The next day we went to my dad's house for Thanksgiving with him.

However we did make a stop at Ikea on the way to his house. Andy had never been to one before. Amazingly, we made it out of there without spending too much money!

The girls were excited to see Layni and hung out in the basement forming a "Rock Band"

The next day was a beautiful day, so we spent some time outside.

Abby, of course, gots lots of attention!

Then we went back to Sharon's house Saturday night, so we could be there for the baby blessing Sunday morning. We are so happy to have this sweet little boy in the family. Can't wait to see him and Abby together as they get older.

And then we made it home, finally, but it was great to spend Thanksgiving with those you love!

Sarah is 3!

2011-12-31T20:00:00.000-05:00

We had a small family party for Sarah on her actual bday- birthday breakfast and presents!

Our Sarah Elizabeth is such a happy girl. She cares deeply about others and gets upset when someone else is upset. She is kind of crazy acting sometimes, but that is why we love her. She loves her sisters very much and loves playing with both of them. She will do anything to get a laugh and is always ready for a good time.

She does have some fear issues, but is getting over a lot of them. She nows loves our neighbor's dogs, will actually climb up the playset at Chick FilA and even rode some rides at the fair. She is a people person and picks up on peoples' names quickly. I think she knew Emily's teachers' names before Emily did. Her best friend is still Zoe Helmer and they are so funny together.

We love our Sarah Baby!

Sarah's Birthday Party

2011-12-20T20:42:00.000-05:00

I decide to have a little get together at the mall for Sarah's birthday party. It was actually my friend Erin's idea because I couldn't find a good weekend for a party, so we just met there one morning.

We met in the food court for lunch and cupcakes and presents!

Chick Fila was nice to give her a free ice cream with a candle.

Lots of cute little girls...

Then on to the fun stuff... carsoual, playing in the shopping cars, TRAIN ride, play area

We all had a fun time.

I really enjoyed it. It meant no work or clean up for me AND I got to hang out with my best friends!

Sarah and Zoe

2011-12-02T23:14:00.000-05:00

These 2 little girls.... they are something else. They LOVE each other. They get so excited to see each other. Sarah goes to Zoe's house every Monday morning. Zoe comes to our house every Wednesday morning. They know they will see each other in the hall of the preschool on Friday. They are in the same class on Sunday. There are major problems if they do not see each other on these days.

However they do have their disagreements and one time Sarah got in big trouble for hitting Zoe. Now she says EVERY day, "Zoe coming to my house today? I not hit her today"

They are currently obsessed with tattoos (or "Tats" as Zoe calls them). One day Zoe came over and saw Sarah's latest tattoo and said, "Oh, Sarah you got a new tat! Cool" For some reason, this kind of worries me about these 2 as teenagers.

Look!

2011-12-02T23:04:00.000-05:00

Can you see them??

2 little bottom TEETH!

Precious!

Sunday Afternoon

2011-12-02T22:58:00.000-05:00

Andy has been anxiously awaiting the opening of a new greenway trail near our house. We took a walk out there one Sunday afternoon.

How sweet are these girls?

The trail goes alongside the Neuse River and soon a bridge crossing over the river will be complete.

It was such a beautiful fall day and it helped me appreciate God's creations... especially my sweet family. (Emily was pouting and therefore not pictured, but I am thankful for her too. :) )

Mascot Night

2011-11-30T11:41:00.000-05:00

I know I have mentioned it a few times... but, I really love our local Chick FilA. They do such fun activities on Kids Night. Recently they had Team Mascot night. Rameses was there! So was the NCSU wolf, which Sarah kept calling the Big Bad Wolf.

Of course I had to get the girls dressed up in blue.

Emily wanted to get a picture with every mascot... even that ol nasty wolf. I loved her 'why is this thing touching me' face in every picture. And she had no idea how to do the wolf fingers (I don't know what they are called)

Lauren C. - I know you love this picture don't ya?

Make sure you show Bob!

We ran into Logan and Brown Bear while we were there.

I think this picture is cute of Andy and Ramses!

And who knows why I didn't think of getting a picture of the whole family with the Ram!

Ugh! Makes me so mad since the girls and I were even wearing our UNC gear. Oh well

Christmas is coming!!

2011-11-29T22:39:00.000-05:00

I am so proud of myself.... we already have our Christmas pictures done and cards ordered. I am way ahead of things this year. :) Granted I still have to address and mail the cards out, but at least I am halfway there!

This year I am trying out a different website for my Christmas cards.... Tiny Prints! I am really impressed with their card designs. They are very classy! Check them out here. They have a variety of sizes, layouts and designs. There are so many to choose from, but it is easy to narrow down with their great filters. And I really like that you can get a flat card, but have a message and picture printed on the back too. We just received a birth announcement today from some friends and the announcement was printed by Tiny Prints. It was on heavy cardstock and looked beautiful. It makes me very excited to get our cards!!!

Here is the one I picked... I love it!

You will have to wait and see it finished with our pictures. Andy took some really nice pictures just in our backyard with a tripod. Thankfully we had a neighbor boy jump around behind the camera to get the girls to laugh!

Now I am off to decorate our house for Christmas!

Halloween

2011-11-29T12:40:00.000-05:00

So Halloween was a wet, wet, cold mess! It was pouring down raining! I was kind of over Halloween before it even arrived since we had gone to so many parties. However the girls disagreed.

Emily started off the evening by dressing up as a ghost to scare Daddy. Pretty funny!

Then the princesses got ready to trick or treat... in the rain! We definitely got our money out of these costumes since we worn them so many times. (Well, mom did since she bought them for their birthdays.)

Andy was nice enough to brave the rain and take them out to a few houses.

I stayed home and set up a spooky treasure hunt...

...that ended with hot chocolate.Yum!

Reppes Visit and Trunk or Treat

2011-11-29T00:12:00.000-05:00

My college roommate, Katherine, was in town recently with her girls. They came over to hang out one afternoon. Her girls are the same age as Emily and Sarah, so they had a fun time playing together. They didn't waste any time on being shy.

The trunk or treat/chili cookoff was that night, so Kat and her girls came with us.

I have no idea why they were putting their bags on their heads, but once the big sisters did it, the little ones copied.

As usual, here is the one shot of Abby just to prove she was there!

It was so nice to catch up with Kat.

Facebook helps us keep in touch, but nothing beats hanging out in person!

And lucky us, we got to see the Reppes one more time before they left. Kat threw a birthday party for Katelyn while she was in town.

The girls got to wear there costumes AGAIN!

I got to see a few more girlfriends that I don't see much

I dressed Abby up as a ballerina for this party.

She looked so cute!

Preschool Costume Parade

2011-11-28T21:58:00.000-05:00

Emily's class had a little Halloween party. The moms were invited to stay and watch the costume parade through the school. They trick or treated in the other classrooms and it was cute to see all the kids dressed up.

Emily was Rapunzel again. We found this nightgown at the Disney Store and thought it would be great for her to wear as a costume and then later as a nightgown. The wig was a MUST, even though it was quite a pain.

Oh, look who jumped in line with the trick or treaters!! Sarah and Zoe!

Emily and her class.

It has taken her a few months, but she has learned everyone's name and tells me what kind of hair everyone has and who she sat beside. :)

Pumpkin Patch

2011-11-25T23:06:00.000-05:00

Emily preschool class took a field trip to a pumpkin patch. Emily was very excited about her first field trip... as was Sarah since they let her tag along too.

They went on a hayride, fed some goats, ran through a corn maze... and then finally got to pick out their pumpkin.

Sarah and Zoe thought they were so cool hanging out with the bid kids!

The teachers were so sweet and brought a treat for them too!

Of course they wanted to carve them as soon as we got home.

What a fun day!

Trunk or Treat #1

2011-11-23T22:42:00.000-05:00

We went down to the Boneys for Claire 1st birthday party. Their church was having their trunk or Treat that night, so we tagged along.

I love Sarah holding Claire in place. Emily and Simon are super close since we used to see him alot when they lived closer, but I love how easy it is for Sarah to love Simon and Claire too!

Bumblebee, Rapunzel (Emily added the flowers to her braid, just like in the movie) and Snow White.

Daddy and Abby Girl!

Digging into the candy!

Fun times... as always!

NC State Fair

2011-11-23T22:26:00.000-05:00

So we left Myrtle Beach and headed straight to the State Fair. I told Andy it was a horrible idea after spending 2 nights at the beach... but... he was right. The kids did great and we had a fun time. However it was so stinkin' hot. I have never been to the fair when it has been so hot, but it eventually cooled down.

Our first stop was the pony ride.

Emily picked out the biggest one to ride. I was surprised.

Sarah didn't want to ride one. I was not surprised.

We made a stop at the cute produce garden/market shop.

The girls love picked and selling their fruit.

Then we hit the rides.

Emily wanted to ride everything and Sarah actually picked a few she wanted to ride.

I love Emily's face on the swings.

We took a nice break before dinner for the girls to play in the waterfall.

Sometimes it brings tears to my eyes to watch my girls loving life and having fun.

We ate dinner and checked out the exhibits and animals. We decided to head home when the rain started and considering we had been there ALL DAY LONG... it was time to leave anyways.

Oh, and how could I forget.... Abby was there too and she was a dream baby!

She was watching the ferri wheel in this picture!

Fun with Brown Bear

2011-11-23T21:42:00.000-05:00

At Emily's preschool, the kids take turns being the Star Student every Friday. On that day, they get to be the line leader. They bring in their favorite snack to share, their favorite book to read during circle time and complete a fun poster about themselves.

Emily's poster:

And the best part of all is that Brown Bear (the class mascot) gets to come home with them for the weekend. Then they fill out a journal about all the fun things they did with Brown Bear.

Here is a recap of all the fun things we did with Brown Bear...

Brown Bear helped Emily opened her birthday presents.

He got to meet lots of other brown bear friends.

Ate dinner and Chick FilA

And then went to Late Night with Roy with us

And he got to go to Myrtle Beach.
That is one lucky Brown Bear!

Myrtle Beach

2011-11-23T16:38:00.001-05:00

Andy's parents and Aunt get hotel rooms at Myrtle Beach for the whole month of October. Supposedly the rate drops tremondously in October. They have done it for a few years, but this is the first year we have gone to stay with them. We just went for 2 nights, but it was a nice little getaway.

The weather was perfect ... a little too cold to get in the ocean, but the girls had lots of fun playing in the sand.

The hotel had a bowling alley and a few indoor and outdoor pools.

One afternoon, Grandpa took the girls to the bontanical garden, which meant Andy and I got to hit the outlet stores with his mom and aunt. Shopping without the girls has become such a luxury! I really enjoy it!

For some reason, we never got a picture with Andy's parents. But we did get one with Aunt Sharon!

Late Night with Roy

2011-11-19T22:16:00.000-05:00

Per our annual tradition.... we all went to Late Night with Roy in Chapel Hill again this year. I must say this year was the most stressful with all 3 kids. There was way too many potty breaks (at very inconvenient times), one accident in the pants (right after a potty break), crying over a spilled drink, crying about the loud noise, crying for no reason! But we made it through and tried to enjoy it the best we could.

Next year, we are leaving the kids home!

Not really a fan of this picture of myself, but I needed to prove I was there.

As usual, the bus ride was the favorite part!

Emily is 5!

2011-11-19T14:38:00.000-05:00

We had a nice little birthday celebration at home on Emily's actual birthday. Andy took the day off work, so we took her to preschool where she was the Star Student (more on that later). Then we grabbed lunch and went home to open presents.

Then we headed off to Chapel Hill for Late Night with Roy! (next post)

Museum

2011-11-19T14:17:00.001-05:00

Recently we met up with friends to visit the NC Museum of Natural Sciences. It had been over a year since we had been there, so it was lots of fun. We started out with a story time about fossils. Emily got to touch a hissing cockroach and snake (Sarah had no desire to touch them... neither did I).

Good thing Emily and Sarah LOVE Logan and Zoe...they end up seeing each other about every day!

Love Lillie's head in the dinosaur mouth!

Smiling, happy faces make it all worth it!

Our attempt at the group picture did not go well.... Emily hiding behind Logan, Alli's pouty face and Zoe stuck behind the grass

At least the babies cooperate!

Emily's Birthday Party

2011-11-17T12:57:00.002-05:00

This year for Emily's birthday, we decided to have a joint birthday party with her friend Logan. His birthday is the same week and her and Logan already do everything together and have the same friends, so it worked out great!

The Boneys came over a bit early, so that was special since we don't get to see them as much since they moved. I was glad I has someone help me with the cake.

Abby and Claire were great little playmates, even with Abby strapped in the exersaucer.

The party was at a nearby park and we had a pizza party. Who doesn't love pizza??!

The pinata was a big hit.... get it... a big "hit." Bad joke!

Yes, I took a picture of each child hitting the pinata. Actually I took about 5 pictures of each child hitting the pinata, but I am only posting 1. Luckily, we had some "big kids" at the party too, so they were able to bust it open.

Emily drew me a picture of the cake she wanted... so that's what I did.

Well actually, Jennifer pretty much did it for me. :)

Opening presents...

Emily has quite a few "boyfriends." I am hoping having all these boy friends now will prevent her from being boy crazy in the years to come.

Such a fun evening! Thanks to all our friends that came to help celebrate!

Camping in Nags Head

2011-11-02T23:32:00.001-04:00

I am not sure why I agree to these type of things, but we decided to go camping at Nags Head the first weekend in October. We had 3 other families going with us, so I think that made the idea more bearable.

Unfortunately we found out a little too late that mosquitos were a big problem in that area. I guess the flooding from the hurricane in August had brought them in by the MILLIONS. They were litteally swarming around our car as we pulled into the campsite.

After we drenched ourselves in bugspray and lit many citronella candles, we got the tents set up and started on dinner.

The kids were clueless about the mosquito situation and loved running around with their glow sticks.

For some reason, the kids deemed our tent the "party tent", which meant lots of sand in the bed. YUK!

By dinnertime, we didn't even notice the mosquitos anymore. Dinner was so much fun. We had lots of good food. I love eating outside by candlelight (or lanterns). After dinner, the dads took the kids for a quick trip to the beach.The moms cleaned up and tried to pack everything up because we could see lightening on the horizon. I was not happy about the upcoming storm since we learned on our last camping trip that our tent leaks! And sure enough after a few minutes of rain, we were huddled inside the van. Luckily the storm did not last long and we were able to sleep in the tent. However sleeping in a tent on a air mattress with the whole family is not a very peaceful sleep.

We woke up to a beautiful morning... until we stepped outside the tent and were attacked by mosquitos! Once again, the kids were clueless to the mosquitos and had a blast playing in the sand (and in the party tent)!

The kids (minus Zoe and Corbin)

The girls and guys.... at least one group knows how to take a picture! What are they even doing??!

So after a yummy breakfast, we decided the mosquitos were just too much for us to handle. We were going to stay 2 nights, but 1 night seemed like enough for us. On the way out, we stopped by the Bodie Lighthouse. It was closed because of hurricane damage, but we were just going to look around.

However the mosquitos were CRAZY here.

As you can see in the picture, everyone was swatting them away. Right after the picture, Blake starts picking up kids and running back to the cars. Everyone was screaming and trying to get in the car as fast as possible. Unfortunately, some mosquitos ended up in the car with us and that led to more screaming!

A few of us tried to brave it for a walk on the beach. The mosquitos were not as bad on the beach.

The girls loved it.

This is Sarah's new crush Corbin. She loves to say, "I going to marry Corbie. He gonna kiss me!"

Mermaids

2011-10-31T22:10:00.001-04:00

The girls spent the last days of summer drawing on the driveway. Emily was very into drawing mermaids.
I thought their bikni tops were hilarious!

6 months

2011-10-26T22:14:00.000-04:00

Maybe I shouldn't say this, but..... Abby is by far our happiest and easiest baby! She laughs so easily and cries only when she wants to eat, sleep or needs a diaper change. She takes great naps and sleeps through the night. She loves the bottle, baby food and pacifer. She loves her sisters and watches them run around. She will start giggling when they come talk to her. She is rolling over a bit more. She spent a night with Nana. She loves to sleep with her silky blanket and lovey and pulls them up over her face.

I tried to take pictures of Abby in this cute pink chair. They didn't turn out that cute. I really need to learn how to take cute pictures. She does look like a baby doll though.

However in this one she looks like a drunk old man.

Nature

2011-10-22T23:39:00.002-04:00

We have had a little too much of nature going on in our backyard. First, there has been 2 sightings of baby Copperheads. Thankfully both were killed, but that really doesn't ease my mind.

Then Andy found this big thing by the pond. He brought it up for the girls to see and it was HISSING! Not a nice turtle. And I don't know who says turtles are slow... but this thing was fast and we all starting running away!

I try to enjoy nature, but things like this tend to FREAK me out!

Baby Sharon's Baby Shower

2011-10-22T23:38:00.000-04:00

Recently we had a baby shower for Andy's sister... aka Baby Sharon. We might have to drop the nickname because "Baby Sharon's baby" sounds a little funny. I attempted a diaper cake for her gift and I think it turned out pretty cute.

We played lots of games including the classic, How big is the belly?

Andy won and I love the picture of him and Sharon.

We also played Diaper Dads and thankfully I had Layni there to help me.

She gots lots of cute boy clothes!

Sarah loved the cake, can't you tell??!

Abby was happy to hang out with Gandpa most the time.

I hardly saw Emily and Layni. They were off playing who knows where.
They really got along this time.

We always love having Layni around!

Fall Festival

2011-10-18T23:29:00.000-04:00

A few weeks ago, our town had a fall festival. We always enjoy it because it gets us in the mood for the State Fair. Emily loves to ride the rides, so we started off with the merry go round.

Then she was all ready for the roller coaster. She has done this ride plenty of times, so we thought it was no big deal to let her go by herself. As you can see, she was very excited...

Until it started moving! Look at her face...doesn't it break your heart??! Poor thing! The ride was extremely bouncy and jerking. Since she has always ridden with one of us, she would just bounce off us but feel really secure with us in the seat. This time she thought she was going to fall out. I wanted to cry every time she passed by me and yelled she wanted to get off. Finally, the ride ended and daddy made everything all better.

And she was ready for the next ride. Andy and her love riding the ferris wheel together. I love watching them way up high just chatting away and pointing things out to each other.

Sarah preferred to just watch them from down below- on solid ground!

However Sarah did want to ride the motorcycle ride.

Afterwards, Sarah said, "That was fun!" and Emily said "That was really boring!" Ha!

Abby was such a good baby - either asleep or happy!

Andy did this motorcycle simulator. I am not sure what it is supposed to do, but I am pretty sure he choked!

The highlight of the day was meeting the cast of Lizard Lick Towing- the pride of Johnston Co. If you have never watched the show on TruTV, you should. That is some high quality redneck obnoxiousness!

Preschool

2011-10-06T23:43:00.000-04:00

Emily has started preschool. On one hand, I can't believe she is already in preschool. However on the other hand, I can't believe she is FINALLY in preschool.

She is in the same class as her buddy Logan, so that makes her happy. They are good buddies. I like it because Bekah and I swap Sarah and Zoe, so one morning a week I only have Abby.

Ahhhh... I forgot how much I enjoy shopping

A little sun in the eyes.

Her first morning of Preschool.

She picked out a new dress and picked donuts for breakfast!

Daddy even went in late to work so he could take her on her first day.

And since I am posting this a month after she actually started school... I can tell you she loves it. She doesn't argue about getting ready in the morning. It sounds like she is doing really well. I love she all her artwork when she get home. She is such a cute and talented artist. We are working on her being nice to Sarah when she gets in the car after school. I think she is on her best behavior for 3 hours and has to take it out somehow... and Sarah is the target.

Sarah has been doing much better than I thought while Emily is in school.

Of course 2 of the 3 days, she is playing with Zoe so that obviously helps!

Cook Out

2011-10-06T23:11:00.000-04:00

We had a little cookout thing for Labor Day. Nothing better than good friends, good food and a campfire to say goodbye to summer!

Watch out for those Turners...they're crazy!

Hurricane Irene and Nana's Birthday

2011-10-04T12:29:00.000-04:00

Luckily we were spared any serious damage from the hurricane. We had lots of limbs down in the yard and the power flickered, but that was about it. The girls actually ventured out in the hurricane to play with Luke next door neighbor. We got them all bundled up and Andy ran them across the yard. Emily wanted to take her blanket, but didn't want it to get wet, so she wrapped it in a blanket. She loves that blanket!

My mom was already here before the hurricane hit because Andy and I were planning on going to my roommate's wedding at the beach. Sadly the hurricane prevented us from going to the wedding. (Mandy was one determined bride and moved the wedding inland some and still had the wedding!)

Mom lost power at her house, so she stayed until her power was restored. Ashley also lost her power, so she can down with her girls. That meant we could all celebrate mom's birthday with her.

Lucy, Emily and Leland

Charly just tackled Sarah when it was time to say Goodbye. Sarah thought it was hilarious!

Happy Birthday Nana!

5 months

2011-10-02T18:08:00.000-04:00

I didn't really get a good picture of Abby at 5 months,

but this one was from a week before her 5 month mark.

Loves to eat her baby food.

Loves her big sisters.

Loves getting attention.

Loves being tickled.

Loves bath time.

Loves her paci and bear snuggly.
Loves pulling the blanket over head when she sleeps.

And we LOVE her!

Layni Bug and Bed Bugs!

2011-09-15T08:16:00.000-04:00

This summer Layni came for a week. As always, the girls loved playing with her. She would carry Sarah around everywhere, which she loved. I don't really remember what we did that week since I am posting this over a month later. Obviously, we had popsicles and made homemade pizza. Other than that, I think we went to the pool. :)

Love this girl!

Oh, so this picture reminds me of a great lesson I learned. I was at the grocery store with my girls and Layni and some lady stopped us in the parking lot. She said she noticed my girls and I in the store (how could you not since they were running around beating each other those little balloons on a stick). Anyways, she wanted to know if we they wanted some stuffed animals she had cleaned out of her kids' closet. They were so excited so they each got one. Well, fast forward a few days when Andy sees a bug crawling on Emily's *new* stuffed animal. He FREAKED out thinking it was a bed bug. We checked Sarah's stuffed animal and sure enough, there was a bug on there too. By this point, he was in panic mood. I washed every towel and linen in the house and emailed a picture of the bug to an exterminator friend. Thankfully it was NOT a bed bug. It was a grain bettle.
But lesson learned --
DO NOT TAKE STUFFED ANIMALS FROM RANDOM LADIES IN THE PARKING LOT!

Yum

2011-09-10T22:47:00.006-04:00

We started Abby on rice cereal about a month ago. She seemed a little confused at first, but quickly go the hang of it. The girls were SO excited to feed her... that lasted about 2 spoonfuls and then they were done. :)

Nana was here for awhile and didn't really want to feed Abby boring cereal. So we have since moved on to the good stuff. So far, she has had green beans, peas, sweet potatoes and bananas. She HATES peas (as do I) but loves sweet potatoes and bananas. It is funny to watch her eat. She lunges for every bite. The other day I met some other moms for breakfast at Chick Fil A. My friend Angie was holding Abby while eating her yogurt. Abby was shaking every time that spoon passed by her face. She wanted it!

And I just made a BUNCH of sweet potato baby food, so if Abby starts looking a little orange, you'll know why!

Big Girl

2011-09-04T20:53:00.000-04:00

"See my panties??!" That is what Sarah is saying.

No more diapers for Sarah!

It just makes you want to jump around and act crazy, doesn't it?

Dog Crazy

2011-09-04T20:50:00.000-04:00

Nana was dog sitting a friend's dog and for some reason, Andy and I agreed (We are not dog people) to let Nana bring him up to our house for the weekend. Emily had meet the dog before and loved him, so she was very excited. However Sarah does not like dogs, so we thought this a great way to help her get over her fear. And as crazy as that plan sounds, it actually worked! Sarah loved Pugsley! The girls had a great time with him. However, we often found him hiding under our bed, so I am not sure he totally loved all the attention!

By the end of the weekend, the girls were begging for a dog. However by the end of the weekend, Andy and I were ready for the dog to go home. I didn't trust him and his little teeth that stuck out and dogs smell. Pugsley loved Andy for some reason. He followed him around everyone. One night Andy woke up on the couch and Pugsley was just staring right at him. Kinda creepy!

Love these girls!

2011-09-01T16:42:00.000-04:00

Chasing Butterflies

2011-08-28T01:24:00.001-04:00

One morning Sarah and I were out watering the garden when we noticed a butterfly in the yard. Of course, Sarah wanted to chase it. The butterfly never flew out of the yard. He just hung around like he wanted to play. Our neighbors had just given us a butterfly net and house, so we got Emily and caught the butterfly.

Nana was visiting, so of course she made it a teaching moment. We found out it was a Eastern Tiger Swallowtail. Isn't it beautiful?

Smith Mountain Lake

2011-08-27T22:09:00.011-04:00

At the end of July, we had a nice vacation with my family at Smith Mountain Lake in Virginia. It has become an annual trip and we always have so much fun. The house is perfect for everyone and is right on the lake with a beach like entry into the water. Todd brings his boat and takes everyone out for fun rides.

Of course, we take lots of pictures...

There is nothing better than to see pure joy in your children's face. Emily loved being in the water and playing with her cousins.

Sarah was not as excited about the water. We would have to take her in kicking and screaming, but she would be OK once she got settled on my lap. However she would hold on to me for dear life when the waves from a boat would start rocking us.

The daily visit from the ice cream boat was the favorite time of day!

The boat rides were also a big hit!

Last year, Andy would only ride with a kid so that he could guarantee not to get thrown from the raft. However this year, he agreed to ride with me... and of course we got thrown! Thankfully I didn't get kicked in the face, but we did take a nasty spill! OUCH!

And for some reason, I agreed to get back out there with my sister and get jerked around some more.

Todd is a pro at hanging on for dear life!

Sarah was pretty happy just hanging out on the shore and with her 2 favorite buddies, Nana and Charly.

Our annual group shot...

All the kids!

Yes, we have a lot of girls...

but thankfully we do have 2 of the cutest boys ever!

This year Dad came up for one night too.

There is nothing better than family!

4 months...

2011-08-22T22:44:00.001-04:00

... and as cute as they come!

Abby is such a good baby!

She laughs at everything and everyone.

She loves being bounced up and down and thrown around by Daddy.

She is a great sleeper and no longer has to be rocked to sleep, but sometimes I still do because she is my baby girl!

She cries for only 3 reasons... hungry, tired or nobody paying attention to her.

She loves this little white bear. She grabs on to it at night and lays it over her face.
She still has to have her paci all the time.

Weight: 12lbs, 11oz (25%)
Height: 24.25 in. (40%)
Head: 40.4cm (30%)

A few months ago our pediatrician recommended a ultrasound be done on her sacral dimple. An abnormality was noted because they could not detect the "bottom" of the hole, so they referred us to a Neurosurgeon at UNC. The Neurosurgeon then recommended an MRI. So on July 29th, we went in for the MRI. I was a bit nervous about the anesthesia, but felt sure the results of the MRI would be normal. She couldn't nurse after 5:00, so I was worried she would be quite fussy. However she was happy as could be and the nurses were eating her up. We didn't actually see them put her under, so it wasn't too bad on me.

After 2 hours they came and got me and it was quite stressful for awhile
trying to get her to fully wake up and nurse. The nurse suggested giving
her a bottle of apple juice and that did the trick!

And thankfully the results of the MRI reported that surgery would NOT be needed! What great news!

**And actually Abby is now 5 months old...so I am officially a month behind in blogging!**

Bubbles!

2011-08-14T22:38:00.000-04:00

Grandma and Grandpa Morris came up to visit one Sunday afternoon and brought an awesome bubble wand. This thing made HUGE bubbles and the girls had a blast chasing them. Candy said one of the girls had told Larry previously that he was a lot of fun, so she said he brought the bubble wand so he could keep up his "fun" reputation. How sweet!

Oh, to be a kid again!

Build A Bear

2011-08-14T22:11:00.000-04:00

A few months ago Emily went to a birthday party at Build A Bear and of course she came home with a bear. And of course, Sarah then wanted a bear. So we told her when she started using the potty she could get a bear. Emily was really great at encouraging Sarah to try to use the potty, since she was sure she could get new clothes for her bear while we were there. Eventually... Sarah started using the potty! She is not completely trained and in no way am I ready to leave the house without a diaper on her, however she is doing awesome!

So we made a special trip to the mall for Sarah's Build a Bear experience. She was so excited and looked so grown up listening to everything she was supposed to do.

Emily brought her bear along too and she was very eager to show Sarah exactly what to do. It was so cute watching them get excited together.

Sarah loves her new bear, which was named "Ram."

Do you think Andy had anything to do with the shirt and name??!

Marbles Museum

2011-08-05T23:39:00.000-04:00

Recently we went with our Joyschool group to Marbles museum. As usual, there was a lot of crazy, chaotic fun. The kids love this place. The moms tried to sit and chat, but that is not really a possibility these days. The one moment I did find a chair and sat down, I realized Abby had a major blowout and got it all over my pants. As I picked her up it was streaming down like a faucet out both sides. Oh my! Thankfully Erin and Lindsay were quick thinkers and we got it all under control and cleaned... as much as we could!

These girls are getting much better at taking group pictures.

You think they would have it down pat at this point since we attempt one at every gathering!

I love this picture of Sarah kicking the soccer ball.

These 3 girls used to be our babies at the Joyschool activities....

but now we have NEW babies. Crazy!

4th of July

2011-08-04T23:21:00.001-04:00

Our little community always has great activities for 4th of July. On Friday night was the Miss Archer Lodge pageant. It was the cutest thing to watch the girls strut around the stage in their cowgirl boots and dance to Scotty McCreery. Emily and Sarah just love watching it.

At one point any "future" Miss Archer Lodge girls are invited to walk across the stage escorted by their father. This year Andy agreed to walk with the girls. However Sarah did not walk across the stage, she went directly to the microphone. Luckily it was turned off, but she did get lots of laughs!

The next morning we took our neighbor to the parade where the kids got lots of candy!

Then we stopped by the bounce houses and face painting before going home for lunch and to cool off.

We went back later that night for the pony rides, train, dinner, sparklers, playing at the park and fireworks with Aunt Sharon, our neighbors and lots of friends from church.

Nana's house

2011-07-25T16:59:00.000-04:00

I must say, the best thing about summer is spending time with my sisters and their kids. We all met up one weekend at my mom's. There happened to be a festival thing in my mom's neighborhood that day... face painting, games, bounce house, cotton candy, ice cream, sno cones... all free! The kids came home with a ton of prizes and a sugar high!

A guy in my mom's ward took everyone out on a boat ride. However Sarah did NOT want to get in that boat, so I stayed back with her and Abby. Of course, as soon as the boat sped off, she said, "I want to do that. I want to go on boat." Argh!

And dinner with 6 adults and 12 kids and burnt pizza was kind of crazy!

Lucy Luba and Layni Bug

2011-07-17T00:03:00.000-04:00

My niece Lucy came to stay with us one week while her mom was packing up their house. The girls loved having her here and I enjoyed making sure I was her favorite aunt!

We picked up Layni and had her for one night too. I got up the courage and hit the Harris Teeter Super Doubles with 5 girls. We were quite the sight with our 2 grocery carts. Layni pushed the cart with Sarah and the food and then I had a cart with Lucy, Emily and Abby. Whew!

That night we went to a Carolina Mudcats game. Thankfully, we had free tickets, so we didn't care that the girls lost interest quickly.

The girls going on "an adventure"

Happy Father's Day

2011-07-17T00:00:00.000-04:00

I must say, Andy had a pretty good Father's Day.

He woke to lovely presents (wrapped by the girls, hence the Hello Kitty bag).

He got 3 ties (and 3 shirts and 3 suits, but I didn't wrap those.)

I made him a photo book with pics of him and the girls.

Emily wanted to make him a picture with their handprints. She came up with the idea all by herself and was SO excited when we finally did it.

Of course, he got lots of hugs and kisses from his girls and a nap with the baby!

And we topped it off with a steak dinner and a yummy dessert. Like I said, he had a pretty good day!

He is a great daddy to our girls. They love when he gets home. They are literally standing at the door waiting for the nightly game of chase and tickles! Sarah loves to follow him around the yard and help him with whatever project he is working on. Emily loves riding in the boat on the pond with him (well, until I ripped the boat but that is another story.)

We love you, Daddy!

3 Months Old

2011-07-12T12:28:00.000-04:00

3 months old

She wasn't in the mood to smile, but we still love her!

June Happenings

2011-07-11T15:56:00.000-04:00

Bounce House with College Roomies

Recently my college roommate was moving from Florida to Michigan and spent some time in NC visiting family and friends. We were able to arrange a little get together with some of our other UNC girls at a bounce house. It was fun catching up and letting the kids run around.

Sarah doesn't really care for bounce houses, but thankfully they had this neat ball and bat thing. There was air shooting up from this cone holding the ball up in the air. Sarah was there all day swinging that bat.... and letting the air blow up in her face.

All the kids!

Feeding the Ducks

One hot and muggy day we went to Shelley Lake to feed the ducks with Joyschool.

At one point, a goose walked up from the pond to the bridge we were on. Sarah started backing up into my legs saying she was scared. Honestly, I was a little scared myself. That think could have pecked us! However Sarah was quick to react and chucked a whole slice of bread at its head! Good thinking! Luckily, some dogs came and chased it away and not of us got pecked. :)

Abby is such a trooper and just hangs out and takes it all in.

But watch out, when she starts crying, she doesn't stop!

Primary Activity at the Temple

On a another hot and muggy day, we joined the primary at the Temple. The kids sangs a few songs and then we took a little tour around the temple. We ended it with a picnic lunch. Did I mention it was a hot and muggy day??!

Pretty much, every day in June was hot and muggy!

Nana Retired!

2011-07-06T23:11:00.000-04:00

My mom just retired!!! Woo Hoo! She has been working hard as a teacher for 30 years... technically 29 years, but close enough. My mom is and will always be a teacher at heart. She truly loves to teach and cares about all her kids. She enjoys teaching her grandchild too. We always make fun of the car load of things she bring when she comes to visit. She always has games, books (oh so many books) and learning activities for the kids. They love Nana's bag of books. She loves figuring out what each child needs to be working on and then telling us how we can help. Isn't she the best??!

The girls and I went down to the end of the year luncheon at her school.

They serenaded the retirees with "You've Lost the Teaching Feeling." Hilarious!

The girls could have played in Nana's classroom all day...

but I was ready to get to the pool!
Nana has the best pool in her neighborhood. It is perfect for the girls and is never crowded.

So I forgot to bring a sun hat for Abby and asked mom if she had anything Abby could wear. She pulled out a pink bonnet. Emily immediately decided she wanted to wear it... backwards. (see picture below). As we leave for the pool, she refuses to take it off. I told her she had to take it off before we could leave for the pool . However my mom disagreed and thought I should just let her wear it. She said it was expressing personality (or something like that) and isn't a big deal and I shouldn't care too much about appearances. So, I gave in and let her wear it. Thankfully she took it off before she got in the pool. However she immediately asked for it again when it was time to head home.

So would you have let your child wear this out?

Is it worth the struggle to make them change?

No kissing!

2011-07-03T23:45:00.001-04:00

Sarah and Emily both love our neighbor Luke and play with him every night. He is 5 and is Emily's "husband." They love to play "Husband and Wife" and Sarah just tags along behind them as their child. The things they say to each other are hysterical.

One day when he was over, Emily asked if I would marry them. "You know, you say the you may now kiss the bride thing." I had to establish a "no kissing" rule. So they hugged and then asked me to take a family picture.

So here it is...

I am not sure what is going on here, but I had to also set a "No boys in the bed" rule

(right after I took the picture).

We are so lucky to have such great neighbors and a playmate for the girls!

Play Time

2011-06-30T22:55:00.000-04:00

We mentioned to our neighbors that we needed to get a bike for Emily. Lo and behold, they pulled one out of their crawlspace that had belonged to the previous owners. Poor thing, she has the such skinny legs that she can't really pedal all that well. She will get it though.

These two can be the best buddies... or the worst enemies. I guess that is the way it goes with sisters. Here are some pictures of their friendlier moments.

Playing dressup with mommy and daddy's clothes

Modeling their princess crown craft

Fashion Show - Emily's favorite activity

The power went out one morning, so they wanted to pretend they were camping.

Playing charades - can you guess what Princess Sarah is dressed up as?

Yes, I let my girls wear boots with their bathing suits.... and a tattered old ballet skirt.

Myrtle Beach

2011-06-29T00:04:00.000-04:00

Andy took a few days off before Memorial Day weekend, so we decided to make a last minute trip to Myrtle Beach. (We actually went a few days before the weekend - before the rates went up, because we are cheap like that.) I haven't been there in quite a long time, so it was interesting to see how things have changed. However some of the old spots were still there so it was fun to reminisce about some good times there. But I do know that I will NEVER let my daughters walk up and down the strip after 9 pm and I am surprised that my BFF Shawn and I survived our trips down there as teenagers. :)

Anyways, the girls were very excited about staying in a hotel. They got to jump on the beds, eat late night snacks and breakfast on the balcony and stay up late watching Scotty win American Idol!

However they weren't too keen on sharing a bed and I had to put a pillow in between them to cut down on the fighting!

We got upgraded to an Oceanfront room - Sweet!

The girls love the beach. Emily loves the sand and water... Sarah just loves the sand!

Emily and Daddy always have fun running through the waves together.

Sarah made lots of castles and never put one foot in the ocean!

This was Abby's first trip to the beach. She enjoyed laying out with me and even took a dip in the ocean!

The hotel had a great kid play area. Sarah, of course, was a little hesitant at first, but eventually enjoyed herself. We just let her go at her own pace.

I love this picture of Sarah talking to Andy. You can just tell by her eyes that she loves her daddy!

Emily is getting to the point where she can walk around and play without me feeling like she needs to be within an arm's reach. It is hard thing letting go sometimes.

At night we enjoyed dinners out and walking around Barefoot Landing and Broadway at the Beach. Sarah followed Emily's lead and wanted to go one ride. She *almost* made it the entire ride without tears.

It was such a nice vacation for our little family. Since Emily has an amazing memory, I know she will remember our trips and fun things we do together. It definitely makes it all worth it.

Dance Recital

2011-06-14T23:59:00.002-04:00

The girls had their dance recital a few weeks ago. They were pretty excited about it, however I was nervous about Sarah doing OK backstage. I was afraid she would get upset when I dropped her off and then not make it out on stage. Thankfully, I was wrong and she did AWESOME! She did cry when I dropped her off and they said nobody could calm her down. Finally they went and got her teacher and she held her right at the curtain while she watched the other classes perform. Then Sarah got excited and said, "My turn. I want to do that. I want to go on stage." I was so happy when I saw her on stage. She was so cute smiling and dancing on stage!

"Who Let the FROGS Out?"

Emily also did great.

Considering she is usually pretty shy, it surprises me that she doesn't get nervous about going on stage. She told me she was just going to smile a "little bit" on stage. I was laughing because I could tell she was holding back a smile as she came on stage. She performed a ballet, then tap routine.

Ballet- "A Dream is a Wish"

Tap - "Baby, I'm a Star!"

Trophies... Roses...Dance Charm Braclets

Nana and Aunt Sharon came to watch.

So proud of our dancers!

Garden

2011-06-02T11:35:00.001-04:00

A few weeks ago, we planted our garden. We really didn't plant that much this summer... just a few tomatoes and a red pepper plant.

I love summer nights. We don't get out as much during the day since it is so stinkin' hot, but we do go out every night after dinner. The girls love playing with their daddy..

Andy planted some grass seeds in a bare spot in our backyard. He is been anxiously watching over it each day waiting for some to grow. The girls can see the spot from the kitchen window and often beat on the window and yell at the birds and squirrels, "Get off my daddy's grass!"

LOVE

2011-05-28T23:55:00.000-04:00

I love when Abby laughs at her sisters...

I love when Abby makes silly faces...

I love when Abby sleeps!

Being a mom

2011-05-28T23:34:00.001-04:00

Being a mom definitely comes with a lot of challenges. Some days are really hard. Like the day Sarah *almost* drank rubbing alcohol. Or the day the girls broke a dozen eggs in the grocery store. Wait, that was the same day! Anyways, after a rough day Andy reminds me that not every day is like that. He is right, some days the girls dance around the house like fairies and never get in a fight and do everything I ask. Well maybe not, but pretty close.

I try to cherish the sweet moments and the appreciate their innocence. Emily has such an vivid imagination and is very inquisitive about things. She can't be quite funny too and can really get me laughing. Sarah is very expressive and I love to watch her face and eyes as she talks. She draws you in. And Abby... is a new baby and everything about a new baby is perfect.

My girls and I on Mother's Day

The hardest part is knowing that I am setting an example for these girls. My role as a mom and my relationship with Andy and others will set a pattern for the choices they will make as they get older. Right now they love their mom and copy everything I do, so I know I have to be on my best behavior!

Walking in momma's shoes

Heaven on Earth

2011-05-28T15:10:00.002-04:00

We had to take Abby to a Dr's appt in Chapel Hill recently (more on the appt later). We decided to spend some time walking around campus with the girls. Sarah and Abby ended up falling asleep in the stroller, so Emily loved all the attention and photos.

Emily and "Silent Sam"

Emily and Mommy on the kissing bench.

Andy told Emily she couldn't kiss anyone else on this bench until she is at least 30! For those that don't know, the legend is you will marry the one you kiss on the bench.

CAROLINA GIRL!

Sarah woke up in time for one last picture!

Every time I go back to Chapel Hill it seems like it is a perfect spring day. Everything looks so beautiful- like heaven on earth. It was fun to share it with Emily and for Andy and I to reminisce. We met after I had graduated from UNC and right when he was finishing up, so we never spent much time on campus together. It was fun comparing our experiences, however it did make me miss my roommates!

Blessing Day - the Afterparty

2011-05-26T23:44:00.002-04:00

We invited everyone over to our house for lunch after the blessing. We considered doing it at a park, but I am so glad we had it at home. We just set up enough tables and chairs in the garage for everyone and it was perfect!

We have had a lot of birthdays lately so we celebrated those.

Ashley's birthday was actually that day! Poor thing had to drive 6 hours on her birthday! And she was a major help getting everything ready. Thanks Ashley!

And see I gave my husband another cupcake for his birthday.

I really didn't forget his birthday!

The weather was perfect! The big kids spent most the day by the pond catching fish! Bryan brought along some live bait and you wouldn't believe all the fish they caught. The kids were so happy!

Larry didn't as much luck as the kids... he hooked a shoe when he tried to cast his line out!

The kids took rides out in the boat.

I am sure my sister is going to freak when she sees a pic of her son wearing an ADULT size lifejacket. Andy swears he wouldn't have drowned if he fell in,, but I think it is better to be on the safe side.

Abby got to snuggle with lots of family. The kids were all fighting for her! She is one lucky girl to have so any people that love her.

Love these pictures of me and my sisters with our dad!

Abby's Blessing Day!

2011-05-17T22:35:00.000-04:00

We were blessed to have lots and lots of family come to Abby's baby blessing. Andy gave her a sweet and sincere blessing with his dad, our brothers/brother in laws (minus Chuck, who was sick) and Jonathan Boney in the circle.

My family

(minus Chuck and Charlotte)

Andy's family

(minus Denise and Maverick)

Our family... of 5!

We love our "Abby Girl"! She has the sweetest face... I love her hair, her chin and her eyes! She loves to cuddle and I am trying to cherish every moment with her. She falls asleep in my arms numerous times throughout the day. She loves to be held, so that is what I do. I having gotten pretty good at typing while holding her, making pb&j sandwiches with one hand and I always make room on my lap for her big sisters. They love her and get so excited when she smiles at them. I enjoy watching her grow a little each day and wonder what she is going to be like as she gets older. No matter what, we love that she is part of our family and will always love her.

Birthday Apologies

2011-05-16T13:55:00.000-04:00

I also kind of dropped the ball on Andy's birthday too. I was having a rough week, OK? I probably shouldn't even document the fact that he got a lousy birthday, but even if I didn't, I am sure he will never let me forget "the year I forgot his birthday."

However I didn't really forget it... I did make cupcakes and here is the proof:

Granted I made them the day before your birthday... for a cookout with friends, but they were still made in your honor!

Sorry Babe! Even though I didn't make a big deal about your birthday. I sure think you are extra special and appreciate all that you do for me and the girls. Love you!

Easter Sunday

2011-05-16T13:40:00.000-04:00

Easter kind of snuck up on me this year. Usually we would have dyed eggs earlier in the week and had a big Easter dinner, but due to my lack of planning neither of those happened.

However, the Easter Bunny did drop off lots of goods for the girls - thanks to some midnight shopping!

And he hid eggs full of candy

The girls loved the bubble machine they got!

I felt really bad about not dying any eggs, so I just let the girls do it that afternoon.

And I made them get back in their dresses for a few pictures. :)

Happy Easter!

Day at the park

2011-05-16T09:14:00.001-04:00

The day before we Easter, we got together with Andy's family for lunch and an Easter Egg Hunt. Abby got to meet a lot of the family for the first time.

Easter Egg Hunt

The park also had lots of cute rides. The girls LOVED the rides. Sarah has never been a fan of rides, but she liked these... except for one that had a scary face and made loud noises. She started crying after it started, so we couldn't do anything, but it was so sad watching her.

There was also a train.... with a tunnel. Check out Sarah's face as she notices the upcoming tunnel and then is IN the tunnel!

There was also a clown there making balloon animals. Sarah and Emily hadn't gotten a balloon animal yet, but were playing with the remnants of a popped balloon. Sarah got upset and went running to Pappa (andy's dad) and was complaining about Emily taking the balloon. So he takes Sarah to get her very own balloon. She comes back with a skip in her step and the biggest smile on her face wearing this thing...

Of course, she went right over to Emily to show it off. So Pappa was off with Emily to get her a balloon. These girls have already learned who to go to, to get what they want!

The best part of the day was the cupcakes made by Sharon and Chestin.

They read, "We are having a BABY!" (picture was taken after a few cupcakes were gobbled up)

We are so happy for them!

Easter Egg Hunt with cousins

2011-05-09T18:05:00.000-04:00

Ashley and her family came down during their Spring break recently. The girls, of course, loved having their cousins over.

There was lots of dress up and fashion shows and...

...getting chased by Uncle Andy/Daddy and...

going to an Easter egg hunt!

The Easter Bunny came by for a visit and everyone got a quick hug. Sarah had no desire to hug him, but I couldn't blame her. He was one CREEPY Easter Bunny!

Charlotte and Sarah are such cute buddies!

So glad the Gates came by for a visit!

1 month old

2011-05-06T23:11:00.000-04:00

Abby turned 1 month on April 19th.

She even smiled for her one month pictures! So glad I got a picture of her first smile!

Sweet Sisters!

Silly Sisters!

That night we had strawberry shortcake to celebrate her first month!

Her stats are:

Weight: 9lbs 1oz (40%)

Height: 21.5 inches (60%)

Head Circ: 37 cm (40%)

Tornado

2011-04-26T22:51:00.000-04:00

As many of you know, NC was hit with a number of tornados recently. Thankfully the tornado went around our town and we didn't receive any damage. Others were not so fortunate and it breaks my heart to watch the news and see homes destroyed. I am so very grateful for all that I have in my life, especially my home and those that I love.

During the storm, we kept a close eye on the news track the path of the storm.We got the girls downstairs and warned them we may have to get in the closet if the storm gets too close to our house. Well, Emily went ahead and set up camp in the closet and played there the rest of the afternoon. She even begged to sleep there! As you can see, she was prepared with the essentials... plenty of dress up clothes!